My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Joe Thatcher ’

The Phils leave the west with a 6-4 road record as they take the final two games from the D-backs, winning by 6-5 and 2-0.

On Saturday night, the D-backs took the lead in the bottom of the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Paul Goldschmidt hits a sacrifice fly, knowing in A.J. Pollock, who had started the inning off with a single, then get picked off first base by pitcher Cliff Lee, but would end up being safe at second base on shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ missed catch error, then stopped at third base on Martin Prado’s ground out, 4-3, giving the D-backs a 1-0 lead. The D-backs added to their lead three batters later as, with two men on, via two straight singles by Miguel Montero and Aaron Hill, with Montero stopping at second base, and with two men out, Cody Ross hits an RBI single, scoring Montero, giving the D-backs a 2-0 lead, while moving Hill up to second base. The D-backs increased their lead in the bottom of the second as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Pollock hits an RBI triple, knocking in Chris Owings, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Bronson Arroyo’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, giving the D-backs a 3-0 lead. The D-backs tired to make it a 4-0 lead as, with Pollock still on third, and with the Phils’ infield drawn in, Prado hits a sharp ground ball to shortstop Rollins, who threw home, cutting down Pollock for the second out of the inning on a fielder’s choice force out, as Prado reached first base safely. The D-backs added to their lead in the bottom of the third as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Ross hits a two-run single, knocking in Goldschmidt, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at third base on Hill’s double, and Hill, who had just doubled, making it a 5-0 D-backs’ lead. The Phils got a run back in the top of the seventh as, with a man on second, and with one man out, pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn, Jr. hits an RBI double, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Freddy Galvis’ ground out, 3-4-3, making it a 5-1 D-backs’ lead. The Phils then made it a 5-2 D-backs’ lead two batters later, after Gwynn had moved up to third base on Ben Revere’s single, before he had moved up to second base on left fielder Ross’ throwing error, putting runners on second and third, and with still one man out, as Rollins hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Gwynn, while moving Revere up to third base. The Phils would make it a 5-3 D-backs’ lead in the top of the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via third baseman Prado’s fielding error of Ryan Howard’s grounder, a walk to Marlon Byrd, moving Howard up to second base, and a single by Dom Brown, moving both runners up a base, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Howard, while moving both Byrd and Brown up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Phils would tie the game up at five-all two batters later as pitch hitter Cody Asche hits a two-run double, knocking in Byrd and Brown, while sending Ruiz up to third base. The Phils then took the lead as Revere hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, giving the Phils a 6-5 lead, while sending Asche up to third base. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his seventh save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth, getting Montero to fly out to left for the game’s final out.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up five runs, only three of which were earned, on eight hits and two walks, while striking out two. Jeff Manship (1-0, 6.75) got the win as he threw a scoreless inning, as he gave up a hit, while striking out two. Antonio Bastardo received his third hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Mike Adams collected his first hold of the season, as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man whom he would face. Jonathan Papelbon collected his seventh save of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Bronson Arroyo also received a no-decision as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, as he struck out two. Joe Thatcher pitched two-thirds of an inning, plus a batter, as he gave up an unearned run on a hit. Trevor Cahill blew his first save of the season before taking the lost (1-5, 7.66), as he pitched an inning, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out two. J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had thirteen hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (RBI) leading the team with three hits, all singles, followed by Ben Revere (Singles, RBI) and Don Brown (Singles) with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single, RBI), Chase Utley (Single), Marlon Byrd (Single), Cliff Lee (Single), pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn, Jr. (Double, RBI) and Cody Asche (Double, RBIs), had the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils also had three walks (Utley, Byrd, Ruiz) and a stolen base (Revere (8)) in the game, while Lee picked off two runners, but only recorded one pick off because of Rollins’ missed catch error.

On Sunday afternoon, the Phils took the lead in the top of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Ben Revere, who has started the game off with a single, then stole second base, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the top of the seventh as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Utley, who had started the inning off with a double, would score on Marlon Byrd’s infield single as shortstop Owings tried to throw Utley out at third base, but instead hit him with the ball, which would then go into the dugout, making it a 2-0 Phils’ lead, while Byrd would move up to second base on shortstop Owings’ throwing error. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his eighth save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth, getting Cody Ross to ground out, 6-3, for the game’s final out.

A.J. Burnett (1-1, 2.15) got the win as he threw eight scoreless innings, giving up just five hits and a hit batter, while striking out eight. Jonathan Papelbon received his eighth save of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Brandon McCarthy (0-5, 5.54) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out twelve Phils. Oliver Perez and Brad Ziegler combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Ziegler) between them, while striking out one (Ziegler).

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Ben Revere (Singles), Chase Utley (Single, Double, RBI) and Marlon Byrd (Singles) all leading the team with two hits each. Ryan Howard (Double) and Wil Nieves (Single) had the other two Phils’ hits, while the other Phil run came in on a throwing error. The Phils also had a walk (Jimmy Rollins), a stolen base (Revere (9)) and a caught stealing (Rollins (2)), while the defense performed a doubleplay.

A Phils’ ninth inning rally ends up a run short as they lose to the D-backs, 5-4.

The D-backs took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as, with a runner on first, and with nobody out, Aaron Hill hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the year, knocking in Miguel Montero, who had started the inning off with a walk, giving the D-backs a 2-0 lead. The D-backs increased their lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Paul Goldschmidt hits an RBI single, knocking in Gerardo Parra, who had earlier singed, stole second base, then moved up to third base on Martin Prado’s ground out, 6-3, giving the D-backs a 3-0 lead. The D-backs then made it a 4-0 lead two batters later as, after Montero had walked, moving Goldschmidt up to second base, Hill hits an RBI ground-rule double, knocking in Goldschmidt, while Montero would stop at third base. The Phils would get on the board in the top of the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via three straight singles by Marlon Byrd, Dom Brown and Carlos Ruiz, and with one man out, Cody Asche received a bases loaded walk, forcing in Byrd, making it a 4-1 D-backs’ lead, while sending Brown up to third base, and Ruiz on to second base, with still one man out. The Phils then made it a 4-3 D-backs’ lead as pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn, Jr. reached base on shortstop Cliff Pennington’s fielding error, allowing Brown and Ruiz to score, before Asche was called out at second base on the throw to second by center fielder Montero. Phils’ manager Ryne Sanberg challenged the call, saying that Asche was tagged while on the bag, and the challenge was upheld, leaving two men on base with only one out. The D-backs got a run back in the bottom of the eighth as, with one man out, A.J. Pollock hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season, making it a 5-3 D-backs lead. The Phils got a run back in the top of the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Ben Revere, who had earlier singled, then move up to second base on defensive indifference, making it a 5-4 D-backs’ lead. The Phils then threaten to tie the game as Rollins stole second base, followed by Chase Utley being intentionally walked. But Addison Reed would c0llect his sixth save of the season as he struck out John Mayberry, Jr. on a called third strike, for the game’s final out.

Roberto Hernandez (1-1, 5.81) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. Jake Diekman pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. Josh Collmenter (1-2, 3.38) got the win as he threw sixth scoreless innings, giving up four hits, while striking out five. Joe Thatcher pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while striking out a batter. Randall Delgado collected his first hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk. Oliver Perez received his second hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Brad Ziegler also collected his second hold of the season as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Addison Reed received his sixth save of the year as he gave up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, all singles, led by Ben Revere, Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd and Dom Brown with two hits each. Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Cody Asche had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two hits (Chase Utley, Asche) and two stolen bases (Revere (7), Rollins (4)) in the game.

The Phils (11-12, 4th East) continue their series with the D-backs (8-18, 5th West) with a game now in progress.

After allowing the Padres to build up a 5-2 lead, the Phils come from behind to tie the game up at 5-5, before winning it in the 13th inning, 7-5, to take the series from the Padres.

The Phils took the lead in the top of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Michael Young hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the top of the second as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Delmon Young, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on John Mayberry, Jr.’s fly out to center, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Padres cut the Phils’ lead in the bottom of the third as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Logan Forsythe hits an RBI double, knocking in Pedro Ciriaco, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Robbie Erlin’s sacrifice bunt, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Padres tied the game up at two-all one batter later as, with a man on second, and with still one man out, Chris Denorfia hits a single, which is then deflected off of right fielder D. Young, allowing Forsythe to score on the missed catch error. The Padres took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Denorfia hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the season, scoring Forsythe, who had just hit a ground-rule double, giving the Padres a 4-2 lead. The Padres then made it a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth as, with a man on second, and with nobody out, Kyle Blanks hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Headley, who had started the inning off with a double. The Phils got a run back in the top of the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen hits an RBI single, knocking in Dom Brown, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Ruiz’s single, making it a 5-3 Padres’ lead, while sending Ruiz, who had just singled, up to second base. The Phils tied the game up at five-all in the top of the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, D. Young hits a two-run home run, his seventh home run of the season, scoring Brown, who had just doubled. The Phils retook the lead in the top of the thirteenth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ben Revere hits a grounder that is missed played by second baseman Forsythe, becoming a fielding error, which allows Revere to reach first base, before Forsythe threw towards home plate in an attempt to throw out Utley, who had started the inning off being hit by a pitch, before moving up to second base on Brown’s walk, as he was trying to score, after having first run past third base, but Forsythe’s throw bounce off of catcher Nick Hundley, allowing Utley to score on Forsythe’s throwing error, giving the Phils a 6-5 lead. On the same play, as the ball gets away from Hundley, Brown, who had just walked, and had gone to first second base and then to third base on the play, also headed for home, soon crossing the plate ahead of pitcher Tommy Layne’s attempt to tag him out, giving the Phils a 7-5 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon collected his fifteenth save of the year by pitching a scoreless bottom of the thirteenth.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. J.C. Ramirez, Phillippe Aumont and Jake Diekman combined for five scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Diekman) and two walks (Aumont) between them, while striking out two (Ramirez (1), Aumont (1)). Joe Savery (1-0, 2.25) got the win as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon received his fifteenth save of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Robbie Erlin also received a no-decision as he went six and a third innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Nick Vincent collected his first hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Joe Thatcher collected his ninth hold of the year as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Luke Gregerson committed his fourth blown save of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Dale Thayer, Tim Stauffer and Huston Street combined for five scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Street) between them, while striking out two (Thayer (1), Stauffer (1)). Tommy Layne (0-2, 2.45) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on a hit batter and a walk. Tyson Ross pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Dom Brown (Single, Double), Delmon Young (Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (Singles, RBI), all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single), Michael Young (Double, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) and pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen (Single, RBI), had the other four Phils’ hit. The last two Phils’ run came in on a couple of errors. The Phils also had three walks (Jimmy Rollins, Brown, Ruiz), a sacrifice fly (Ruiz), a sacrifice bunt (Cole Hamels) and a hit batter (Utley)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (38-41, 3rd East) start a four-games series with the Dodgers (35-42, 5th West) starting with a night game tonight. The game is to be played at Dodgers Stadium and is to start at 10:10 pm EDT (7:10 pm PDT). The Phils will send to the mound Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.14), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on June 22, as he went six innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out one, in the Phils’ 8-7 walk-off win. Pettibone will once again be looking for his fourth win of the season, hoping that the Phils’ bullpen will not allow this one to get out of hand. The Dodgers will counter with Zack Greinke (4-2. 3.79), who is coming off a win against the Padres on June 22, as he went eight innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while striking out eight, in the Dodgers’ 6-1 win. He’ll be out to beat the Phils. The Phils will be out to continue their present winning streak on the west coast.

Bad defesnse, added to a sad sack offense, ends up giving the Phils a series split with the Padres, losing 6-1.

The Padres took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Chase Headley hits an RBI double, knocking in Will Venable, who had started the inning off with a bunt single, then reached second base as Phils’ starter Joe Blanton misread a slow doubleplay grounder to the mound by Mark Kotsay, allowing it to bounce over his head, for a force attempt, fielding error, giving the Padres a 1-0 lead, while sending Kotsay, who had been safe at first on the error as he beat shortstop’s Jimmy Rollins throw to first, would stop at third base. The Padres then took a 2-0 lead as Nick Hundley hits a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Kotsay from third, before Venable is thrown out trying to move up to third base, 9-5, on a good throw by center fielder Shane Victorino, for the inning’s second out. The Phils would get a run back in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Juan Pierre would hit a single to right, which would send Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Freddy Galvis’ ground out, 2-3, to third base, and Joe Blanton, who had just walked, up to second base, before Ruiz would be sent home as right fielder Venable committed a fielding error on the ball, cutting the Padres lead down to 2-1. The Padres would get the run back in the third as, with a man on first, and with two men out, Hundley hits an RBI triple, knocking in Headley, who had just walked, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. The Padres then made it a 4-0 lead as Yonder Alonso reached first base on Jim Thome’s fielding error, allowing Hundley to score. The Padres then added to their lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Hundley hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, scoring Headley, who had just walked, giving the Padres a 6-0 lead. That would end up being the final score as Victorino ended the game by grounding out, 2-3, for the game’s final out.

Joe Blanton (1-3, 4.34) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up six runs, only three of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out two. Joe Savery pitched two 1-2-3 innings. Anthony Bass (1-2, 2.33) got the win as he pitched six strong innings, giving up just a run on three hits and five walks, while he struck out seven. Joe Thatcher, Luke Gregerson and Ernesto Frieri combined for three scoreless innings, giving up five hits (Thatcher (1), Gregerson (3), Ernesto (1)) between them, while striking out four (Thatcher (1), Gregerson (1), Frieri (2)).

The Phils had only eight hits in the game, with Juan Pierre leading the team with three singles, as he raised his batting average to .326, with Jimmy Rollins following with two hits, both singles. Jim Thome (Single), Ty Wigginton (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils had no RBIs in the game as their only run had scored on a Padres’ fielding error. The Phils, who had some very sloppy defense in the ballgame, as they committed three errors, and several other bad plays, to go along with their presently anemic batting, as they were unable to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities, had five walks and two stolen bases (Rollins (3 & 4)) in the ballgame. The team continues to leave a ton of runners on base, as they went only 1 for 9 in RISP opportunities.

The Phils (7-9, 5th East) will conclude their western road trip with a three-game series with the Diamondbacks (8-8, 3rd West) starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Chase Field, and it will start at 9:40 pm EDT (6:40 pm MDT). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 1.93), who will be taking Cliff Lee’s spot in the rotation as he recovers from his left oblique strain. Kendrick last pitched in relief on April 17 against the Giants, as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter, in the Phils’ 4-2 lost. He will be seeing if he can keep the Phils in the game, while working on a pitch count. The D-backs will counter with Wade Miley (1-0, 3.12), who is also coming out of the bullpen to make the start. His last appearance was in relief against the Braves on April 19, as he went one and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out a batter, in the D-backs’ 10-2 lost. He will be seeing if he can continue the Phils’ batting troubles. The Phils hope that they can get some batting going in another park that have been a known house of horrors for them.

The Phils reward Cole Hamels strong start by scoring four run as they beat the Padres, 4-1.

The Padres broke up a 0-0 pitchers’ duel in the fifth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Jesus Guzman hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring Cameron Maybin, who had started off the inning with a triple, giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at 1-1 in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Shane Victorino and Ty Wigginton, and then a bunt single by Freddy Galvis, as he was making a sacrifice bunt attempt, which allowed both Victorino and Wigginton to move up a base, and with nobody out, Brian Schneider hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, while sending Wigginton to third base, and Galvis up to second base, leaving the bases loaded. Two batters later, with the bases still loaded, and now with one man out, the Phils took the lead as Juan Pierre hits a two-run single, scoring both Wigginton and Galvis, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead, while sending Schneider up to second base. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with one man out, Victorino hits a solo home run, his second home run of the year, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his fifth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Orlando Hudson, looking, for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (2-1, 2.95) got the win as he pitched six strong innings, giving up just one run on six scattered hits and a walk, while striking out four. Jose Contreras gets his first hold of the season, as he made his first official appearance after rejoining the ballclub on Monday, as he pitched a scoreless inning, walking a batter. Chad Qualls collected his fourth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his fifth save of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter. Edinson Volquez (0-2, 4.30) took the lost as he pitched six innings plus three batters, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five. Andrew Cashner blew his first save opportunity of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Josh Spence pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on four hits. Joe Thatcher pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up no hits.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Shane Victorino (Single, Home Run, RBI), Ty Wigginton (Singles), Freddy Galvis (Singles) and Brian Schneider (Singles, RBI) all leading the ballclub with two hits each. Juan Pierre (Single, 2 RBIs), Placido Polanco (Single) and Cole Hamels (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits, as this time the team was able to get the key hits they needed in their three-run seventh. The Phils also had three walks.

The Phils (7-7, 5th East) will continue their four-game series with the Padres (3-12, 5th West) with a game later today. The game will be played at Petco Park, and will start at 8:35 pm EDT (5:35 pm PDT). The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.17), who is coming off a victory against the Giants on April 16, as he went eight strong innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 5-2 win. He will be going for his fourth straight victory, while trying to help pitch the Phils to their fourteenth straight win at Petco Park. The Padres will try to counter with Cory Luebke (1-1, 3.71), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on April 16, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out four, in the Padres’ 7-1 blowout. He will be trying to stop the Padres present losing streak. The Phils will be out to win their fourteenth straight game at Petco Park, while trying to make Doc a four game winner.

The presently punchless Phils got enough hits to reward another recent good performance by Joe Blanton with a win, as they defeat the Padres, 3-1.

The Phils took the lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Jayson Werth, who was earlier hit by the pitch, then moved up to second on Raul Ibanez’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Padres tied the game up at one-all in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Jon Garland hits an RBI single, scoring Chris Denorfia, who was safe at first on a force out, 6-4, as Chase Headley, who had earlier walked, was wiped out at second for the inning’s second out, and then went to third on Nick Hundley’s single, while sending Hundley, who had just singled, up to second base. The Padres then tried to take the lead as Hundley tried to score on David Eckstein’s single to center, but was nailed at home, 8-2, by a strong throw by Victorino which beat Hundley to the plate, as Brian Schneider applied the tag for the final out of the inning. The Phils regain the lead in the seventh as, with a man on, and with one out, Victorino hits an RBI triple, knocking in Werth, who had earlier walked, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, now with runners on the corners, as Carlos Ruiz is intentionally walked, and with still one man out, pinch hitter Mike Sweeney hits a grounder to shortstop Miguel Tejada, who threw to second to attempt a doubleplay, but Ruiz’s slide into second baseman Eckstein hard enough to slow down the throw to first, allowing Sweeney to beat the throw to first, while Victorino would cross home plate, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. That would be the final score as the Phils’ bullpen would pitch three 1-2-3 innings, with Brad Lidge recording his eighteenth save, as he ended the game by getting Headley to fly out to left.

Joe Blanton gets the win as he pitches six innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he strikes out three. His record is now 6-6 with a 5.15 ERA. Jose Contreras collects his tenth hold of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Ryan Madson picks up his eighth hold of the season as he also pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Brad Lidge collects his eighteenth save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one. Jon Garland took the lost as he pitches six and a third innings, giving up three runs on three hits, three walks and a hit batter, while striking out two. His record is now 13-9 with a 3.29 ERA. Joe Thatcher, Luke Gregerson, Edward Mujica and Ernesto Frieri combine for two and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up just one walk (Thatcher), while striking out three (Gregerson (1), Frieri (2)) between them.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with two hits, a single and a triple, as he knocked in two runs. Jimmy Rollins had the only other Phil hit, a single. Mike Sweeney had the other Phil RBI as he hit into a force out. The Phils’ bats were otherwise silent, which will have to change before things really gets bad for the team.

The Phils (72-57, 2nd East) will conclude their three-game series with the Padres (76-52, 1st West) with an afternoon game. The game will be played at PETCO Park and will start at 4:05 pm Eastern (1:05 pm Pacific). The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (7-10, 3.47), who is coming off a no-decision against the Astros on August 24, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, as he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 4-2 extra-innings lost. In his last three starts, his record is 0-2 with a no-decision, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up eight runs on seventeen hits and four walks, while striking out twenty-one batters. He will be going for his first win in over two months, while hoping the bats will score more than one run for him. The Padres will counter with Clayton Richard (12-5, 3.55), as he is coming off a win against the D-backs on August 24, as he pitched six scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and five walks, while striking out eight, in the Padres’ 5-0 win. In his last three starts, his record is 3-0 as he pitched eighteen and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on sixteen hits and nine walks, while striking out eleven. Richard will try to end the Phils’ present winning streak. The Phils will be trying to sweep the series before going on to Los Angeles.

The Phils stratch their way to an extra-innings win as they defeat the Padres, 3-2, regaining the wild card lead while closing the Braves’ lead in the East to two games.

The Phils took the lead in the third as, with two men on, and with two men out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second on Placido Polanco’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Polanco, who had just singled, to second base. The Padres tied the game up at one-all in their half of the third as, on a 1-0 fastball, Yorvit Torrealba hits a lead-off home run to left. The Phils regain the lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Utley, a single by Ryan Howard, sending Utley up to second base, and a walk to Jayson Werth, moving up a base both Utley and Howard, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Utley, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Howard to third and Werth to second. The Padres then got out of the inning as Luke Gregerson got Shane Victorino to hit into a force out, 1-2, as Howard is thrown out at home plate for the inning’s second out, while Werth and Ibanez both moved up a base, then got Carlos Ruiz to strike out looking. In the ninth, the Padres tied up the game at two-all as, with the bases loaded, via a single to pinch hitter Matt Stairs, who is then pinch run for by Jerry Hairston, who then went to second on David Eckstein’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, an intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez, after a Miguel Tejada ground out, 5-3, and hitting Ryan Ludwick, moving up both Hairston and Gonzalez, and with two men out, Hairston scored on a Brad Lidge balk, as both Gonzalez and Ludwick moved up a base, before Chase Headley ends the inning by grounding out, 3-1, sending the game into extra-innings. The Phils took the lead once again in the twelfth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, who had earlier doubled, as he got his hand across the plate before the tag, to give the Phils a 3-2 lead, while Polanco moved up to second on the throw home. That would be the final score as Chad Durbin pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out Will Venable looking, for the final out.

Roy Oswalt gets a no-decision as he pitches eight strong innings, giving up just a run on five hits, as he strikes out six. Brad Lidge had his fifth blown save of the season, as he pitches an inning, giving up a run on a hit, a walk, a hit batter and a balk. Ryan Madson pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Chad Durbin gets the win, as he pitches two inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. His record is now 4-1 with a 3.51 ERA. Mat Latos also gets a no-decision as he pitches seven inning, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while he strikes out six. Mike Adams pitches a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Joe Thatcher pitches to one batter, giving up a hit. Luke Gregerson pitches one and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball, striking out a batter. Heath Bell pitches two scoreless innings, walking a batter, while striking out four. Ernesto Frieri takes the lost as he give up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out one. His record is now 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

The Phils had nine hits, with Jimmy Rollins leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double. Placido Polanco follows with two hits, both singles, as he knocks in a run. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Roy Oswalt had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles, with Utley and Ibanz both knocking in a run. The Phils’ offense is still having problems knocking in runners in scoring position.

The Phils (71-57, 2nd East) continue their series with the Padres (76-51, 1st West) with an afternoon game, that will be televised nationally on FOX. The game will be played at PETCO Park and will start at 4:10 pm Eastern (1:10 pm Pacific). The Phils will be going for their second win in a row, while trying to decrease the Braves’ lead in the East to a game.

Behind the pitching of Roy Halladay and the bullpen, especially a recently returning Brad Lidge, the Phils squeak out a victory as they defeat the Padres, 3-2, snapping their four game losing streak.

The Padres scored first in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Tony Gwynn, Jr. hits an RBI single, scoring Scott Hairston, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Nick Hundley’s single, giving the Padres a 1-0 lead, while sending Hundley, who had earlier singled, up to second base. The Phils took the lead in the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the year, knocking in Roy Halladay, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Padres tied the game up at two-all in the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Adrian Gonzalez hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Will Venable, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on David Eckstein’s single. The Phils regained the lead in their half of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Victorino, an infield single by Placido Polanco, sending Victorino to third, and Chase Utley being hit by the pitch, sending Polanco up to second base, and with two men out, Jayson Werth forces in a run with a walk, scoring Victorino, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while moving both Polanco and Utley up a base. That would be the final score, as Phils’ starter Halladay kept the Padres from adding any more runs, while reliever J.C. Romero in the eighth, with the bases loaded via Hundley being hit by a pitch, and walks to Gwynn, Jr. and to pinch hitter Oscar Salazar, and with one man out, got out of the jam by getting Chris Denorfia to hit into a doubleplay, 5-3, with Gwynn, Jr. being out at third for the second out of the inning. Brad Lidge then picked up his second save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Roy Halladay gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up two runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out seven. His record is now 8-3 with a 2.03 ERA. Jose Contreras collects his third hold of the year as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up a walk and a hit batter. J.C. Romero receives his first hold of the season as he pitches two thirds of an inning, walking a batter. Brad Lidge gets his second save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Mat Latos gets the lost as he pitches just five innings, giving up three runs on four hits, four walks and a hit batter, while striking out six. His record is now 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA. Edward Mujica, Joe Thatcher and Luke Gregerson combine for three scoreless innings, giving up just two hits (Thatcher (1), Gregerson (1)) and one walk (Thatcher), while striking out five (Mujica (3), Thatcher (1), Gregerson (1)).

The Phils had only six hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with two hits, a two-run home run and a double, knocking in two runs, while scoring two. Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Roy Halladay had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles. Jayson Werth had the other Phil RBI via a bases loaded walk.

The Phils (29-24, 2nd East) continues their four-game series with the Padres (32-22, 1st West) with a night game tonight. The game will begin at 7:05 pm and will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils’ starter will be Jamie Moyer (5-5, 4.26), who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on May 30, as he pitched six innings, giving up just a run on four hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 1-0 lost. He will be trying to end his three game losing streak. The Padres will counter with Jon Garland (6-2, 2.15), who is coming off a no-decision against the Nationals on May 30, as he went seven innings, giving up just two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Padres’ 3-2 win. He will be trying for his seventh win of the season. The Phils will be trying to win their second straight game at home while hoping that the offense will finally erupt and blow someone out.

Behind the pitching of Cole Hamels and the offense, the Phils continue their recent winning ways at home as they defeat the Padres in a make up game for an earlier rain out, 9-4. They increase their lead in the NL East to six and a half games over both the Braves and the Marlins.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and nobody out, Pedro Feliz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Three batters later, with one man on and two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, knocking in Phils’ starter Cole Hamel, who had earlier reached base on a force out, 2-6, of his sacrifice bunt attempt to move Carlos Ruiz to second, who had earlier hit into a force out, 5-4, wiping out Feliz at second base, making it a 2-0 Phils’ lead. Two batters later, after Shane Victorino is hit by the pitch, Chase Utley would make it 3-0 Phils as he hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while moving Victorino up to second base. The Phils would make it 4-0 in the third as Feliz hits a single, which Padres’ second baseman Oscar Salazar threw away, allowing Werth, who had earlier doubled, to score on the throwing error. The Padres would then try to make a come back in the fourth as, with one man on, and with two outs, Chase Headley hits an RBI double, knocking in Adrian Gonzalez, who had earlier walked, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. One batter later, Kyle Blanks cut the lead to 4-3 as he hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the year, knocking in Gonzalez. The Phils then went back to add to their lead in their half of the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier walked, stole second and then move to third on Victorino’s ground out, 3-unassisted, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead, while sending Utley, who had just walked, to second base. Raul Ibanez then followed with a two-run double, knocking in both Utley and Howard, to make it a 7-3 Phils’ lead. With their RBIs, both Howard and Ibanez reached 70 RBIs, tying themselves for the team lead in that category. The Phils would then take an 8-3 lead as Werth would hit an RBI single, bringing home Ibanez. The score would become 9-3 Phils in the seventh as, Ruiz hits a lead-off home run, his fifth home run of the year. The Padres would get a run back in the eighth as, with one man on, and one out, Everth Cabrera hits an RBI single, scoring Tony Gwynn, Jr., who had earlier doubled, making it a 9-4 Phils’ lead. But that would be the final score as Chan Ho Park would pitch a quick 1-2-3 ninth.

Cole Hamels got the win as he pitched seven inning, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk, as he struck out six. His record is now 6-5 with an ERA of 4.66. Andrew Carpenter pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and walk. Chan Ho Park pitched an inning and a half of scoreless ball, striking out one. Kevin Correia took the lost as he went three and a third innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits and three walks, as he struck out two. His record is now 6-8 with an ERA of 4.84. Mike Ekstrom pitched two and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, as he struck out three. Edward Mujica pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Joe Thatcher pitched an inning and a third, striking out three.

The Phillies’ offense had fourteen hits in the game, with Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz leading the way by each collecting three hits, followed by Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino with two hits each. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz got the other four Phils’ hit, with Ruiz’s hit being a solo home run. Besides Ruiz’s RBI, Ibanez knocked in two runs, while Rollins, Utley, Howard, Werth and Feliz each knocked in a run. The Phils had their second straight ten-plus hits games after being kept silent on Tuesday night, as Howard and Ibanez both knocked in their 70th RBI of the year, while Utley missed out on joining them when he hits into a force out with two men on base in the seventh.

The Phillies (54-39, 1st National League East) will continue their so far successful home stand with a three-games series with the Cardinals (52-46, 1st National League Central), starting tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be J.A. Happ (7-0, 2.68), who is coming off of a win against the Marlins on July 19, where he went seven shut out innings, giving up just five hits and a walk, and struck out one, in the Phils’ 5-0 win. He will be going for his eight win of the year while putting up his name as a candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year. The Cardinals will counter with Joel Pineiro (8-9, 3.09), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on July 19, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up on one run on five hits, as he struck out three, in the Cardinals’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to even his record, while trying to keep the Phillies’ offense quiet. The Phillies will be going for another series win as their try to improve their winning record at home before going once more onto the road.

The Phillies’ offense, lead by Raul Ibanez as he celebrates his 37th birthday, crush the Padres, 10-5, giving runs support to rookie starter Antonio Bastardo in his first career start.

The Phillies took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and one man out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run double, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled and then stole second, and Chase Utley, who had just walked, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. One batter later, the Phis made it 3-0 as birthday boy Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, scoring Howard. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, and still one man out, Greg Dobbs hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Ibanez, who had moved to third on Jayson Werth’s single, making it 4-0 Phils. The Phils increased their lead to 6-0 in the third as, with a man on, and nobody out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his eighteenth home run of the season, scoring Howard, who had just walked. The Phils made it 7-0 in the fourth as, with a runner on third, and one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, for the inning’s second out, scoring Victorino, who had earlier tripled. In the fifth, the Phils would make it 8-0 as, with two outs, Dobbs hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season. The Padres would finally score a run in the sixth as, with one man out, Adrian Gonzalez hits a solo home run of his owm, his twenty-second home run of the year, making it an 8-1 Phils’ lead. In the seventh, the Phils made it 10-1 as, with one man on, and with one man out, Ibanez hits his second two-run home run of the night, his nineteenth home run of the season, knocking in Utley, who had earlier walked. The Padres tried to come back into the ballgame in their half of the seventh. With the bases loaded, via singles to Brian Giles and Henry Blanco and a walk to Tony Gwynn Junior, and two men out, pinch hitter Edgar Gonzalez hits an RBI single, knocking in Giles, making it a 10-2 Phils’ lead, while moving both Blanco and Gwynn up a base. Edgar’s brother, A. Gonzalez, then received a walk, forcing in Blanco, and moving up a base Gwynn and E. Gonzalez, while cutting the Phils’ lead down to 10-3. The next batter, Chase Headley made it a 10-5 Phils’ lead as he hits a two-run single, scoring both Gwynn and E. Gonzalez, while sending A. Gonzalez up to third. The inning would finally end with Kevin Kouzmanoff striking out, swinging. The Phillies bullpen would then shut down the Padres for the final two innings, preserving the victory for the rookie.

Antonio Bastardo got the win, as he pitched a good game, going six strong innings, giving up just one run on four hits, a walk and a hit batter, while striking out five. His record is now 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched an inning in relief, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks, while he struck out two. Chad Durbin pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up no runs on one hit and two walks, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson pitched a third of an inning, recording his second save of the year as he got out the only man he would face. Jake Peavy took the lost, as he lasted only an inning (being taken out of the game because he was feeling sick), giving up four runs on three hits and two walks. His record is now 4-5 with an ERA of 4.10. Josh Geer pitched an inning plus three batters of relief, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. Luis Perdomo pitched four innings, giving up two runs on two hits, as he struck out three. Joe Thatcher pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and three walks, as he also struck out three. Cla Meredith pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just three hits.

The Phillies had eleven hits in the game, with the birthday boy, Raul Ibanez, leading the way as he got three hits, including two two-run home runs and a double, knocking in five of the Phillies’ ten runs. Shane Victorino followed with two hits. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett had the other six Phillies’ hits. Of the eleven hits, six would be for extra-bases (2B (2), 3B (1), HR (3)). Besides Ibanez’s five RBIs, Howard and Dobbs would both knock in two runs, while Utley would knock in one. Unlike Monday, the Phillies were able to knock in runs when they needed to.

The Phillies (30-20, 1st) will conclude their three-games series with the Padres (25-27, 3rd National League West) with another night game at PETCO Park. The game will start at 10:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound J.A. Happ (3-0, 3.00), who will be making his third start since being put into the starting rotation. He is coming off a win against the Nats on May 29, where he went five and a third innings, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks, while he struck out five in the Phils’ 5-4 win. He win be going for his second straight win as a starter, as he tries to give the Phils a series sweep. The Padres will counter with Chris Young (4-3, 4.45), who is coming off a lost against the Rockies on May 29, as he pitched six innings, giving up a run on two hits and six walks, while he struck out two, in the Padres’ 3-0 lost. He will be trying to even his record, while trying to keep the Phils from sweeping the Padres. The Phillies, with another road series win, will be going for a sweep, to start off their long road trip on a positive note, while the team’s bullpen welcomes back J.C. Romero from his fifty games suspension. Despite not having his services for 50 games, the Phils lead the NL East, having the second best record in the National League, behind the Dodgers, two and a half games ahead of the Mets, who are trying to avoid being swept by the lowly Pirates.

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